I like Orakpo and always have. But is he worth elite money he will expect from us? I say no.

He's going to want something around $10 million a year, which would make him our highest (or one of our top three highest) paid guys. I suggest we'd be better off sticking with Rob Jackson and other replacements. Jackson provides more disruptive play, IMO, especially in passing situations. We can't rely on Jackson to do 100% of what Orakpo did for us, but surely we can find someone else who can do the rest for less than the ~$9 million my scenario frees up.

A fair number of Orakpo's good-looking stats come in meaningless games or in games where we are so far out of it, it hardly matters. I hate to say it, but he often disappears for entire quarters, halves, and even games. The moments when he does break through are OK but not often or consistent enough to warrant "elite" consideration.

Some team will give him elite money this offseason, whether it's us or someone else. I am hoping we let someone else make that mistake.

The Redskins have long been a top-heavy team that lacked depth. Yes, you need star talent to field a dominating defense. If Orakpo showed the kind of dominance you see from Terrell Suggs or a half-dozen other defensive stars, this would be a no-brainer. But in no way do I see Orakpo playing at that level.

Thoughts? I'm particularly interested to hear if a case can be made to pay him "elite" money.

"I’m never under the assumption that you draft for need. You draft the best available football player on the board. ... Because, in the long run, they are the ones who will help you win the most games." - Scot McCloughan

I would hate to see him go, but think I'm mostly in agreement with you because of the "elite money" issue. I'd like to see the team make him a solid, very competitive offer to keep him with the team that drafted him. Beat out some other teams with the signing bonus money? But I think he's a guy who we could quickly decide was overpaid if he ends up with some ridiculous new contract.

I do not think that 'money' is going to be an issue with this franchise under the current FO ... Scheme and 'fit' will be more important .. if the FO and the OC and DC assistants feel that a player is potentially a good fit for what they need to do - the FO will make fair and competitive offers ... I doubt that we overpay anyone or that we become the place to play if you're only interested in the money

IF Orakpo wants more than he's worth, he's not 'worth' keeping ... and I think he's a force on D

Nobody really expects the Redskins to do well - 8 wins is a winning season with Dan Snyder Since 1999, 19 seasons 132-171-1 - this is an average of less than 7 wins per season

I actually agree with letting him go if he's is going to demand huge money, unless we go back to a 4-3, which I believe we should. I'm a huge Orakpo fan, but he is by no means elite. I think he would be much better with his hand in the ground on every down, chasing down the QB like Robert Mathis. Ditto for Kerrigan. If I see Kerrigan trying to keep up with guys like Shady McCoy or Jamal Charles on wheel routes next year, I'm going to puke.

Offer the man a respectable sum of money and let him choose whether to stay or go.

But, we must also realize that he and Kerrigan are equally average pass-rushers. If one is gone, the other tends to disappear, neither is an elite rusher. So, letting Orakpo go will diminish Kerrigans presence to a degree.

Chris Luva Luva wrote:But, we must also realize that he and Kerrigan are equally average pass-rushers. If one is gone, the other tends to disappear, neither is an elite rusher. So, letting Orakpo go will diminish Kerrigans presence to a degree.

That is a concern of mine. But I think Kerrigan has progressed even more since 2012 when Orakpo was out most of the year, so I'm optimistic that we don't need the $10 million solution to make him effective.

"I’m never under the assumption that you draft for need. You draft the best available football player on the board. ... Because, in the long run, they are the ones who will help you win the most games." - Scot McCloughan

Irn-Bru wrote:That is a concern of mine. But I think Kerrigan has progressed even more since 2012 when Orakpo was out most of the year, so I'm optimistic that we don't need the $10 million solution to make him effective.

Franchise tag isn't a bad idea at all. I think we'll be overpaying him, but at least it's just a one-year thing with no long-term commitment. Gives us more time to work on a replacement plan, too, in case Jackson doesn't work out as a full-time starter.

"I’m never under the assumption that you draft for need. You draft the best available football player on the board. ... Because, in the long run, they are the ones who will help you win the most games." - Scot McCloughan